Judy heard the feet stop next to her. She looked over to see Meredith standing next to her. She looked back to the door, wishing she knew what was going on.
"Did he say something to you?" she asked the ocelot.
"Nope. Said he was fine."
Judy huffed. She knew that response. Every time Nick said that, he was just buying time. She wanted to help him, but she wasn't sure how to. She looked around the Precinct, glad that Clawhauser was still talking to her parents. He was great at dispatch, and he always made the clueless feel a lot better. She turned back to her superior. "Where'd he go?"
"I saw him walk out the same as you. What makes you think I'd know?"
Judy sighed. "Before he left, Talens."
"You really have it bad for him if you let that little bit get you riled up." The ocelot was smirking. Judy shook her head.
"No, it's… He's been off all day. To be honest, he surprised me by calling in my parents. But he's been acting off all day, and it's been worrying me. But this…" She shivered. "It's not like him."
Talens shrugged. "I swear, what you see in that fox I'll never know." She turned to walk to the bathroom. She turned her head to glance back at Judy. "He came from the Chief's office, though."
Judy dropped her ears and looked up towards the Chief's door. He'd been against Nick the last few times she'd talked to him. Everything he'd said had been about how he'd made the wrong calls and nothing he'd found out was worth paying attention to. She didn't like the thought of Nick getting that same attitude face to face. It was enough that she had to deal with it. She worked her way over to her parents and siblings, hearing them laugh with Clawhauser. His attention focused on her.
"Hey! Judy! We were just talking about you!" Judy felt her ears get a bit red. Hopefully it wasn't bad.
"I figured you'd be talking about Gazelle, Benji."
He giggled. "We did talk about going to the concert. It was a lot of fun! But then your parents asked about you and I just couldn't stop!"
Judy's mother looked at her. "I didn't realize everyone respected you that much here!"
Stu nodded, looking around the building. "It's amazing you've fit in here, Judes. It still scares me, but maybe…"
"Maybe you were wrong?" The words came out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Judy covered her mouth with her paws, her eyes going wide. "I didn't mean…"
"You're right, Judes." Her father looked at her. "Maybe we've been wrong about a lot." Judy looked down, feeling slightly bad. She'd been so busy lately, and after her first accident she'd been pushing them away.
Joshua came over and thumped her on the back. "See? Nick was smart to call them in."
Judy nodded before her eyes went back to the door. Nick. Where had he gone off to? There was no way he'd just stepped outside. She sighed and looked back up to the top towards the Chief's door. "Hey Clawhauser, can you keep them entertained for a moment?" She turned back to her family. "I'd like to look at one thing really fast." Josh shrugged and turned back to the dispatch.
"Do you ever have to do sketches?"
Clawhauser nodded. "Every now and then. There's enough cameras in the city to usually find them, but sketches always help."
"Great! I have an aspiring artist for you right here!" Joshua pushed Janice closer to the desk despite her squeals and blushing. Judy turned and rushed to the stairs before she got pulled back into the conversation. She rushed up the stairs, looking in on her office. There were no paper files on the desk, nor any notes to see any other officers. That meant if she had any updates they'd be in her email and she'd get to them the next day.
She thought about ignoring the problem, but instead walked to the Chief's door and knocked. There was a sound and then the door opened, the water buffalo staring at her. He grunted and moved over slightly.
"I hear your family's in town, Hopps."
Judy nodded as she turned back to him. It felt weird to not be in her uniform in front of the Chief. "Yes, sir."
"Remind them not to use my extension for complaints." He walked back to his desk, sitting down to look at her. "It's your day off. Why are you in here instead?"
Judy gulped, wondering the best way to word her question. There was no good way, so she blurted it out. "Chief, what did you say to Nick?"
His eyes got dark. "Pick your next words carefully, Officer."
She took a deep breath before continuing. "Chief, he's been off all day but after he came in here it got worse. I may be crossing a line, but what did you do or say to my partner?"
The Chief's dark eyes glowered at her. He didn't speak at first before he grunted. "Told him to go home. Reminded him to think on what went wrong. I also made sure that he will."
"Bogo, what's that supposed to mean?"
He looked down his nose at her. "Hopps, Wilde is a good cop. I'll admit that. He has a unique background that helps him with his job. But he used that background incorrectly." He picked up a stack of files on his desk. "See this? All those injured or dead on this case. Five dead, at least six wounded." He dropped them back to his desk.
Judy was piecing it together. "Chief, you didn't."
"I did." He turned to the window. "He made some bad calls. He dug up very little. Wilde needs to understand the gravity of the situation."
Judy had heard enough. She went to the door, reaching to open it. As she was about to, she stopped. She couldn't leave like this. "Permission to speak freely, Chief?"
There was a snort. "You and Wilde both ask that before you rant. Fine. Granted."
She turned back to stare at her boss. "You're being beyond unreasonable. If Husk would have been driving that car, or anyone else, do you think every officer involved would have escaped? Nick knew the way out of the bunker and saved our lives. He fought off a meerkat to even get the chance at that race!"
The Chief stared at her. "And?"
"I have connections to Mr. Big, but that's it. No one else has ties to Fresh. Had we gone in as officers with no past, he'd of never given us information. Even if we haven't found a breach, Nick got himself beaten badly to get that lead."
"It was a dead end, Hopps."
Judy was fuming. "Chief, why do you keep saying it's his fault? You're the one who allowed him to check with the crime bosses. You gave him the all clear, despite Chief Lyons and Chief Tusks disagreeing with you!"
Bogo eyes became as cold as ice as he stood up. "That's enough, Hopps."
"He put himself through hell so the rest of us haven't had to! He may have gotten the ambulance destroyed but without him I don't think we'd of caught Harris or any of the others-"
"I said that's enough!" Judy clenched her jaw, staring at the water buffalo. His eyes were pitch black. "I know what he did, Hopps! And it got us nowhere!"
"That's a lie!" She watched his eyes widen at her complete disagreement. "We got Razor. We had Harris for a time. Even if there was no breach, he got us a lead to check in roughly an hour when everything else had taken weeks. It didn't get us nowhere."
The Chief stomped to the window, breathing heavily. Judy realized in her mind just how far over the line she'd just stepped. It was one thing to disagree, but to flat out yell at him for his words… She felt fear for a moment. But her anger at the Chief for treating Nick like he had quickly overcame it. Nick hadn't earned that disrespect in the slightest.
The Chief finally looked back at her, and she was surprised to see his eyes didn't look angry. They looked tired. "Hopps, look at this city." He waved his arm at the glass window and turned back to it. "Look at it. This is what we're trying to protect. It's huge, and there's so many dark alleys it's hard to see straight sometimes.
"You think I don't know everything you've said? I've had to deal with Lyons nearly every day since that operation. He's been clear that I made the call. And you're both right, I made the call. Wilde chose what he thought was best. As officers, we have other routes to take. His was faster, and it bent the rules. I agreed because we needed leads. This case is too close to all of us."
He turned back and went back to his chair. "I think Wilde is partly responsible for what's happened. He put every officer at risk with his actions." Judy opened her mouth to speak but Bogo lifted his cloven hoof. "I'm also aware that if it had been any other officer, the body count would likely be higher. Wilde needs to realize how dangerous his actions were for everyone involved, even if they were better than the alternatives."
Judy stared down, her eyes trying to gloss over. "He's covered in casts and most of us aren't. He's been in the hospital three times since this case started, more so than anyone else. I think he's more aware of the danger than you think."
There was a grunt. Judy looked up to see the back of the Chief's chair. "Regardless, Hopps. He needs to slow down and follow the proper channels. Get that through his head."
"As if he'll listen to me."
"You and I both know he will, Officer." The chair turned around and his eyes bore into hers with a knowing stare. "After all, you two are breaking policy anyway. If anyone can get through to him, it's you."
Judy felt her face drop. "Chief, that's not the point here."
"The point is that Wilde didn't think his choices through. The point is that officers are injured, including him- yet he refuses to slow down. The other officers can barely look at him right now; they aren't mad at him, they're afraid. That happened with the Fumes, not the Clefts. If they did that, how much worse could everyone else be? Yet he keeps pushing forward. It's forcing the other officers to question their resolve." His eyes seemed to lighten for a moment. "And for some odd reason that fox will listen to you. He'll banter with anyone else, but he caves when it involves you. So yes, part of the point is that you two are involved. It means you can get through to him."
Judy huffed. "It's not that easy. Nick has more walls than a prison."
"Then cause a riot and a jailbreak for all I care. Just make him see straight." He turned back to his keyboard and she heard tapping, knowing her conference with the Chief was over. She opened the door and headed back out, feeling exhausted. After squaring her shoulders, she headed for the lobby to meet up with her parents. After that, she'd find Nick. Hopefully she could get through to him.
Easier said than done. After two hours of guiding her parents and siblings around, Judy was completely lost when it came to finding Nick. She wanted to do something, but she had no idea where to start looking. She was leaned against the wall when she heard her name. Her mother was motioning her over to the two mammals they were meeting with.
"Judy, this is Dr. Avery Bounds." Judy nodded at the brown rabbit in front of her. He smiled back politely as her mother continued. "He stays here to make sure everyone's safe!"
Judy shook his paw. "Nice to meet you, Doctor."
"The pleasure is mine." He had a softer, smooth voice. It immediately made her think of someone trying to do something shady.
Judy looked around the small distribution center. "Are there many injuries here?"
"Not at all." He turned to look at Judy's father and the overweight platypus talking. "Webster does a good job of book-keeping and making sure everything works well here. He's got a great manager to keep everything safe for the workers. I think this partnership will be great for both your family and this company."
Judy looked at her mother. Bonnie just gave her a funny smile and turned back to the dark bunny. "Didn't you say you came from the Triburrows to become a doctor?"
'Not now, mom,' Judy thought. She knew exactly what her mother was trying to do. She smiled politely as Bounds just nodded and smiled. "Indeed. It wasn't easy, but if you know where to look you can find ways."
"Maybe I should give you Vivian's number," Judy replied. He raised his eyebrows and her mother looked at her. "She's trying to help the kits of Hollow's Den find scholarships and donors to further their education and achieve their dreams."
The rabbit rubbed his neck. "I don't know if I could help out with money or anything, but I do know where to apply for some scholarships. I could maybe talk to them, too. If I could spare a day from here."
Judy nodded and wrote down the number on the back of a business card belonging to her father. He looked at it and pocketed the card. "Pray tell, who is this 'Vivian,' anyway?"
"Vivian Swift. She's a retired fox living in the town who's using her connections from here in Zootopia to make it better for the kits." Judy was surprised her mother would be able to say all that.
Bounds nodded. "Sounds like a nice enough animal. How'd you meet her?"
"She asked my husband if he'd be willing to offer some summer internships so the kits could know how to run a farm and gain some mechanic skills."
Judy smiled. She'd managed to avoid having a date set up with this rabbit. Her mother didn't look too happy about it, though. She looked around. She could see Joshua talking to the manager about something. Janice was sitting on a nearby box, looking dazed. Judy walked over to her.
"Janie, you okay?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Just wondering if Mr. Wilde is okay, wherever he is." Her eyes focused and she jumped. Judy turned to see her mother glaring at her little sister. Janie scooted over on the box to keep Judy between them.
"I'm sure he's fine, dear. After all, he's a police officer and he can handle himself if push comes to shove."
"But he's got all those casts, Mom," Janice said quietly. "And he seemed upset earlier."
The doctor waved his paw at Judy. "Is there anything I can help with? I wouldn't mind taking a look."
Judy shook her head. "Nick just needs time to heal. There's not a lot a doctor can do for him. Unless he makes it worse again."
He stepped closer and Judy's mother did too. She had the slight urge to hide like her little sister.
"First name basis?"
Bonnie piped in. "Yes, he's Judy's partner on the police force. Right, Judy?" Her eyes looked soft, but Judy knew if she spoke up that things may get ugly. She didn't want that, not tonight.
Before she could respond, Janice spoke up from behind her. "And Judy's boyfriend. Right?"
Judy could see the tension building in her mother's features. The good doctor's eyes widened for a moment before he hid his emotions again. Judy could swear that he was similar to Nick in that regard. She turned and wrapped an arm around her little sister.
"That's right, Janie. And I think I've given him enough time to calm down. I need to go find him."
"Wondering when you'd get around to that." Judy turned her head to see Joshua walking up to them. Apparently he'd gotten done discussing whatever it was with the manager. "I'm amazed you let it get so late."
Judy looked at her watch. It wasn't even 7:00 yet. "It's not late, Joshua. The sun's still out, after all."
"Yeah, well, it may take you a while. Nick seemed like he was going to disappear pretty well."
Judy nodded. She heard a slightly higher-pitched voice from behind her. "What's disappearing?"
She didn't look at her father as Josh filled her in on the plan. She looked at him to see him look slightly disappointed. "Well, if that's what you want to do, I guess."
Bonnie widened her eyes. "Aren't we going to get dinner together? We could invite Dr. Bounds and Mr. Webster!"
Judy felt like she was trapped between a rock and a hard place. She wasn't sure what to do.
"Mom, we can find a restaurant. That funny cheetah earlier had quite a list he was rambling on about. I wrote down a few while Judes was arguing with her boss." Judy felt her ears go red; she hadn't realized they'd heard that.
"I think… I think Mr. Wilde needs some help right now." Judy felt really glad that her little sister was right there. Her mother looked flabbergasted of course. Bonnie turned to her husband.
"Stu?"
He rubbed his neck and looked at his wife and Judy. "I… uh… Look, I don't like how it's all turned out, but I said I'd give him a chance. I think we can make due for a few hours… right?" He looked to his son for help.
Joshua laughed. "Of course we can. And the offer for dinner still stands for Dr. Bounds and Mr. Webster." He looked at Judy and leaned in closer.
"I've got this. Janie's helping and dad's trying. We'll stop mom," he whispered to her. Judy sighed and gave him a hug. She leaned over to hug her sister again.
"Thanks! I've got to go!" As she almost ran out, she noticed her mother was staring after her with eyes that had the impending look of a deep conversation. She wasn't sure what was said, but Bound's eyes got a lot wider as he stared at her. Josh had a smug grin on his face. Whatever was said, Judy didn't care. She had someone to look for, someone who needed her.
'Now,' came the thought in her head, 'where do I begin?'
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There we go! I'll try to finish up the next chapter tomorrow. To those who sent me reviews about the past chapter, I think I explained quite well in this one the reason for the hostility at the Precinct. It'll come back into play later, trust me.
I was going to have Judy find Nick this chapter, but I decided I wanted to show how hard she plans to look for him. I couldn't summarize it in a short paragraph and I don't want to; let's just say you'll find out about his preferred music tastes in the next chapter. Unlike so many stories I've read, I WILL NOT ALLOW NICK TO PLAY A GUITAR. He's a retired con artist, not a street artist.
Finally, to showcase the dynamic of the family; in the movie, Stu was more emotional and more worried about his daughter. That's why I wanted to make him succumb faster to the idea of Judy and Nick. It's a nice contrast to his wife, showing that he's more emotional but also supportive. In the movie Bonnie seemed a bit down when she mentioned she 'settled hard,' almost implying something sad about her marriage. I'm ignoring the sadness, but I'm making her set in her ways. You'll get a nice little story about that along the way, too. Remember: "If you want to know what a woman will be like in 10 years, look at her mother." Also, remember Newton's contribution: "The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree."
It's a spoiler, but oh well. She's acting too pushy to not explain her actions. I don't want any more complaints or reviews about how she's being too harsh about it.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
